Heater



Sept. 24, 1940.

D. 'F.JoNx-:s ET AL' HEATER Fild oct. 4, 195'?l v 2y sheets-shea 1 4 NVENTOR. /V f5-JONES BY JH/V WM/LEE I ATTORNEY.

ELN?? Sept. 24, 1940. D. F. JONES Er A1.

` HEATER Filed oet. 4, 1957 2 sheets-sheet 2 2 551/56, F/Q E Z w DOn w M www Mmm 2v2 6W. 4 F NWN M Lp wm F 5 410W 54% JY Z J7/441W. B d mw Il 5. f @o :JE f, 4 6 ,fL/ 8 3 f 0E 50 E f i Patented Sept. 24, 1940 HEATER Don F. Jones and John W. Miller, Lansing; Mich., assignors to Motor Wheel Corporation, Lansing, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application October 4', l193'?, Serial No. 137,142

1 Claim. I (01. 126-56)v 'I'his invention relates to space heaters for rooms of relatively small size, and more particu# larly to heaters for camping trailers.v E

In camping'trailers of the type that are to 'be 5 towedby an automobile, it is necessary that all equipment placed therein shall be made as compact as possible. Consequently it is essential that the heater for a trailer of this type shall have a very high efiiciency and yet loccupy but little space in the trailer. It is also advisable that the heater be so installed in the trailer that the products of combustion will be discharged into the 'outside atmosphere in order that the air withinthe trailer will not be vitiated.

It is accordingly an vobject of the invention to provide a small heater with a high elcienoy. 4

Another object of the invention fis to provide a heater that may take the air necessary for combustion from outside of the space to be heated.

20, Another object of the inventionvis to provide a heater, the radiating portion of which is contained within a casing or cabinet: thus protecting the occupants of the trailer, and the equipment heating unit. Another object is to provide a means for heating the air admitted into the trailer for ventilation, prior to its circulation within the trailer.

A still further object is to provide a compact 3 heater of attractive appearance with all parts enplaced therein, from "the intense heat oi' the obvious that the size of the heater may be varied, but its compactness is plainly indicated.

Figures 2, 3 and 4 show the details of the heater. A cabinet I6, which may be decorated in any suitable manner in order to enhance its appearance, encloses a heating unit I6a.' The heating unit is thus concealed, and the occupants and the equipment of the trailer are protected from the direct heat oi the heating unit Ita or from contact with the heating unit. This cabinet I8 is made prinlo cipally from sheet steel panels -forming the four walls I'l I8v I9 and 20 the bottom wall 2l and a portion of the top wall 22. 'I'he side wall 20 of the cabinet I8 has arelatively large opening 23 15 near its bottom, which allows cool airfrom near the floor of the trailer to enter the cabinet and be warmed by the heating unit. This opening 23 l'is covered by a grille 24 which conceals the heating unitwithin the cabinet I6 yet allows the air to pass into the interior of the cabinet.

closed within acabinet but with such parts readily accessible.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the several views;

In the drawings:

Figure l is a fragmentary cross sectional view of 'a trailer embodying our invention;

Figure 2 is a front 4elevationofa heater constructed in accordance with this invention;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the heater shown in Figure 2;' and T v Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on substantially theline 4-4 of Figure 3.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figure 1 thereof, there -is shown a camping trailer I0 having a heater II mountedA Vopenings for the passage of warm'air from the vide additional outlets for heated air.

Vand bending the metal bounded by the slits downthe cabinet which is closed by a door 3l hinged The top wall 22 of the cabinet I6 consists oi a plate 25 and a grille 26. The grille 28 forms the front portion of the top Wall 22 and provides cabinet out into the interior of the trailer.. The plate 25 completes the top wall 22 and has a plurality of elongated louvres 21 therein which pro The louvres'21 are formed by slitting the steel panel wardly, as best seen in Figure 4. 'I hisplate 25 ispreferably hinged at its forward edge to the sidewalls I1 and 20 in order to provide access to the interior of the cabinet, and a latch 23 is provided to holdthe plate 25 in closed position.

The front wall I3 of the cabinet 'I6 consists of two narrow sheet steel panels 29 and 30 at the A f top and bottom respectively of said cabinet. A

rectangular opening is thus left in the front 'of o at one vertical edge 32 to allow access to the interior of the cabinet from the front. A latch 33, controlled by a knob 34, is located on the door 3| in'orcierI to hold the door in closed position.

The grille 24 on the side Wall, and the grille 26 inthe top of the cabinet, are mounted in place in such a manner as to be readily removed il?` desired. It will be apparent, therefore, that all of the apparatus Within the cabinet I6 is readily 50 accessible. Access to the side'may be gained through opening 23; to the top through the opening that vis -normally covered by grille 26 and plate 25; and to the front through door 3|. 'I'he rear wall I9 and the side wall Il are solid 55 sheet steel panels rigidly secured to the adjacent walls.

The bottom wall 2| of the cabinet i6 has a plurality of elongated slots 35 which may be opened or closed by a slotted plate 35. The plate 35 has a plurality of slots 31 therein and is mounted in guides so as to be slidable transversely ofthe cabinet. Thus, the slots 31 inthe plate 36 nay register with the slots 35 in the bottom wall 2 i, or may be moved out of registry with the slots 35 in order to close the openings in the bottom wall 2|. An opening 38 is cut in the floor of the trailer beneath the plate 35 so that when the slots 35 and 31 are in registry, air may enter the cabinet from outside `of the trailer in order to provide ventilation for the interior thereof. The bottom wall 2| of the cabinet I6 is alsoprovided with openings for the reception of a duct 39 and a pipe 16, which will be described later.

The heating unit comprises a combustion chamber d and a burner'. The combustion chamber is formed from sheet steel bent into cylin- 1 an oil-tight joint is formed. The central portion of the plate 4| just inwardly of its periphery is depressed slightly to form a pan to catch any oil overflowing from the burner. The center of the plate il is provided with an opening and the metal surrounding the opening is pressed downwardly to form a flange lid. Secured to the ange ld is a duct 39 that passes through ahole 19 in the trailer floor. The duct 39 has an annular rib 45 which seats against the lower face of the bottom wall 2 of the cabinet I6.

The duct 39'provides a passage that allows air for combustion to enter the burner and at-the same time allows any oil that might accidentally spill from the burner to flow out of the trailer without in any way adding to the danger from fire. The particular construction of the lower end of the cylinder in which the burner is mounted is such that there is no -possibility ofv escape of oil into the trailer.

Attached to the under side of the 'bottom plate 4| are the legs 42, which are generally U-shaped,

with the legs of the U flanged outwardly for attachment to the bottom wall of the cabinetby. 'rivets 43. The legs are provided with threaded apertures for the reception of bolts 66 on which fthe burner unit is adapted to rest. The bolts are provided with lock nuts 61 to prevent the loosen- `ing of the bolts 66 by the motion of the trailer.

i ucts of combustion generated in the burner to pass *Y out of the. trailer.

The combustion chamber, 40 may be used as a cooking range as well as a heaterfor the trailer.

'75 The top 46 is flat in order to support a cooking vessel, and access to the top d6 may be had eitherthrough the door 3| or through the opening in thetop of the cabinet I6 after removing the grille 26.

Mounted at the lower part of the combustion chamber 40 is a burner 50 which rests on the bolts 66. The burner 5U comprises a bottom pan 5| which has an annular shoulder 53 near its upper edge. The pan 5| also has a central opening which is closed by a tube 52 brazed to the metal around the opening. The tube 52 is closed at its upper end and has a plurality of. apertures 52a. therein for the passage of air into the burner. Seated on the shoulder 53 is a wall portion 54 which is of substantially frusto-conical shape and is provided with three annular ribs 55, 56 and 51 respectively, Resting on the rib 55 is a partition 59 which has a large central opening 6@ therein. A top wall 6|, having a large central opening 52, rests on the intermediate rib 56, Supported on the top wall 6| by a plurality of radially extending vanes 6d is an annular baffle ring 63. The bale ring is made in two semi-circular sections which are secured together by cotter keys 8|. The Walls of the burner are provided with a plurality of small apertures 58, which allow air for combustion to enter the burner. The burner is placed in the combustion chamber with the rib 51 seating beneath a rib 65 in the wall of the combustion chamber 60, and it is forced against said rib 65 by the bolts 66. 1

secured to the reanwau of the cabinet is is a fuel tank 68 having a removable cap 69 in the top wall. The cap may be removed in order that the tank may -be illled with fuel. A pipe 10 leads from the bottom of the fuel tank to the control chamber '1| and another pipe 11 leads from the control chamber 1| to the burner 5U. A valve 12 is inlliV -serted in the pipe 1U in order that the flow of 4 fuel to the burner may be completely shut oir. An

over flow pipe 16 leads from the control chamber 1| -through la hole 80 in the floor of the trailer whereby overflow fuel may be discharged onto the ground.` The control 1| is conventional, but is preferably of the type where there is a float valve for controlling the fuel level therein. A metering valve (not shown) within the control chamber is connected by a' rod 13 to a knob 1d in the top wall of the cabinet so that the ow of fuel to the burnenmay be controlled from the exterior of the cabinet. A dial 15 surrounds the knob 1d in order that the control may be readily set to deliver a certain quantity of fuel. f

A baille or reflector 18 is interposed between the combustion chamber 40 and the fuel tank 68. A baffle is necessary to prevent the fuel in the tank from being overheated y In the operation of the burner, fuel enters the burner from the fuel tank and flows on to the bottom of the pan 5|. After the fuel is ignited, the heat from the flame induces adraft in the chimney 49, thereby drawing fresh air for combustion into'the interior of the burner through the duct 39 and the apertures 52a and 58. It will be apparent, therefore, that the air for combustion is taken from outside of the trailer and the products of combustion are discharged into the outside atmosphere. ,Also the cool air from nearthe floor of the trailer. enters the cabinet through the grille 24, is heated and passed out through the grille 26 and louvres 21. Fresh air ,for ventilation is obtained through the opening 38 in the trailer floor and the slots 65 and 31 in the bottom wall of the cabinet. Consequently all the air that is admitted into the trailer is heated prior to its circulation therein, so that the occupants of the trailer will experience no cold drafts from open windows.

The heaterherein' disclosed assures the utmost safety to the trailer and its occupants. The heating unit IGa is completely sealed with respect to the interior ofthe trailer so that no noxious fumes are ever released therein. There is no possibility of oil spilling onto the oor of the trailer, for any overow in the control or in the burner is carried off through pipe 16 or duct 39 respectively. In

addition to these features, the heating unit is effectively shielded by the cabinet lli in order that effect of the air flowing by it. This tendency to increase the draft is balanced, however, by the eductive effect o f the air fiowing by the duct 39.

As a result, the draft will remain substantially constant even during rapid motion of the trailer. It will-be apparent from the foregoing that we vhave invented a heatenwhich isa decidedimprovement in the art. The heater specifically described in this application, however, is susceptible of many variations which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and consequently, we wish to be limited only by the scope of Ithe appended claim.

We claim:

In combination with a vehicle trailer having side walls,a floor, and a roof, an oil burning heater for said trailer comprising an inner casing sealed against' escape of vapors therefrom into said trailer, a' flue outlet from the casing extending through the trailer roof, an air inlet duct extending from the bottomlof said casing through the trailer floor, a burner of the vaporizing pot type within said casing, means for supplying liquid fuel to said burner including a fuel control device, said means being sealed against the escape of fuel into said trailer, said .control having a fuel overflow pipe extending through the trailenoor,

and an outer casing spaced from and surrounding the walls of the inner casing.

DON F. JONES. 1 JOHN W. MILLER. 

